Moroccan Almond Snake Pastry Recipe - M'hancha

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

2. If using whole almonds, blanch, peel, and dry them; then fry half of the blanched almonds until golden and drain them.

3. Process all almonds with sugar until powdery, then continue processing until a paste forms.

4. Knead cinnamon, gum arabic, butter, and orange flower water into the almond paste until smooth and evenly combined.

5. Roll the almond paste into long, thumb-thick logs.

6. Trim warqa leaves into rectangles. Arrange three or four pastry rectangles horizontally, overlapping by two inches, and seal these overlaps with egg yolk. Brush the connected leaves with melted butter.

7. Place the almond paste logs along the entire bottom edge of the assembled pastry, pressing them into a single long roll, ensuring a small empty pastry space remains on the right end.

8. Carefully roll the pastry from the bottom to enclose the almond paste, then brush the last exposed pastry edge with egg yolk and complete the roll to seal.

9. Starting from the left, gently coil the wrapped almond paste. Brush the hollow end of the pastry with egg yolk and tuck it under the coil to seal.

10. Transfer the coiled pastry to the prepared baking pan.

11. Brush the top and sides of the pastry with melted butter, then with egg wash.

12. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown.

13. For a honey garnish, heat honey with a small amount of orange flower water, then brush generously over the still-warm pastry and sprinkle with chopped almonds; allow to cool before serving.

14. For a powdered sugar garnish, cool the pastry completely, then generously sift powdered sugar over it, optionally adding ground cinnamon.